I Want To Make You Feel Beautiful
by SammyWritesFicSometimes
Summary: After the night at Battery Park, Kurt and Blaine slowly but surely fall back into being friends. But when Blaine's spending the weekend with Cooper in Atlantic City, he gets a phone call from Kurt that could change things. Because all Blaine wants is to make Kurt feel loved.


**AN: **I thought I'd upload this here to kind of ease the wait of the next chapter of NOMA. This was originally written as a bit of a songfic to Maroon 5's _She Will Be Loved_ but I took the lyrics out so it won't be deleted on here - the full version is still over on my tumblr

* * *

It doesn't happen instantly, of course not. Kurt's feels angry and hurt and betrayed, as he has every right to feel. And Blaine. Blaine has hurdles of his own which he needs to overcome. But eventually, with time, comes forgiveness. Because Kurt knows, from having too many people to forgive over the years, that it's much less painful to forgive than to harbour hate.

So they fall back into their old routine. Not from when they were Kurt-and-Blaine, but from when they had simply been 'Kurt and Blaine', two friends who appreciated each other. Only this time, Kurt isn't finding any excuse to spend time with Blaine, or blushing at every contact. Still, they're each other's first point of call when they need advice, each other's first phone call on receiving good news, and each other's sympathetic ear after a rough day.

And when Kurt starts dating again, a Peter who works on the floor above him, it's Blaine that he wants to tell the most. Not out of a desire to make him jealous, but out of a genuine need to tell his best friend about the man that manages to brighten even the busiest of workdays.

And Blaine doesn't mind, for the most part, at least. It's just that Kurt's descriptions are always so vivid, that Blaine can't help but picture it in his mind. Their first kiss, picnics at Central Park, lazy afternoons spent curled up together on the couch of this other man's apartment, Kurt enveloped in his arms and sighing contentedly…

No, Blaine stops himself. He's not allowed to feel like this. Not allowed to feel jealous. If Kurt's truly as happy as he seems with Peter, then Blaine should be happy for him.

And he is. Truly, Blaine is happy just hearing that Kurt's happy, hearing Kurt's happy sighs and the cheeriness in his voice. It's just that he would prefer if he was the one to make Kurt that happy.

But one weekend, Blaine gets a call that changes things.

Cooper's taken Blaine out to Atlantic City for the weekend, a holiday away from the stresses of Senior Year. They're on the beach, making sandcastles – a favourite Anderson brother's pastime – when Blaine's phone starts ringing, not his usual ringtone, but his personalized one for Kurt. In seconds, Blaine brushes the sand off his hands and pulls out his phone.

"Hello?"

Blaine's greeted with a sob and _oh_, Kurt's crying.

"Kurt?" Ba-" Blaine barely stops himself from calling Kurt his favourite pet name. _That was for when you were together, _he reminds himself. "Kurt, what's wrong?"

"He cheated," Kurt moans, between sobs. "He - fucking - _cheated_."

"Kurt," says Blaine, voice softening in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry to call," Kurt rambles on, sniffling. "I know this is your weekend away with your brother and it was meant to be your time away from everything. It's just that Rachel's away this weekend and I can't call anyone at work because they all _know_ him and I just needed to talk-"

"Hey," murmurs Blaine soothingly. "It's okay; you know you can call me about anything."

Cooper's attention is fixed on Blaine now, eyebrows knitted in concern. He makes a gesture which Blaine can't quite interpret, and Blaine excuses himself from Kurt so he can pull the phone away from his ear.

"That Kurt?" asks Cooper, voice filled with worry

Blaine nods.

"Go to him," Cooper urges.

Blaine opens his mouth to respond, to tell Cooper that it's a ludicrous idea and there's no way. Except there is. New York City isn't that far away, Blaine reasons with himself. The idea of comforting Kurt in person seems like a possibility, only how?

"Take the car," suggests Cooper, as if reading Blaine's mind. "It's only a bit more than a two hour's drive, and it's not like I'll be leaving the resort anyway."

Blaine rushes to hug his brother in thanks, not even bothered by the obvious glance he gives the girls who are tanning nearby, no doubt to see if they're watching the display of brotherly affection.

"Hey, Kurt?" says Blaine into his phone, as he retrieves the keys from Cooper's pocket. "Kurt, I'm coming to you, okay baby?"

He can't help it. The pet name slips out. But he's too distracted to care, too distracted by the sound of Kurt's shuddering breaths.

"You don't have to," says Kurt, once his breathing has calmed down a bit more. "Honestly, Blaine-"

"Hey," Blaine interjects, his voice soft yet insistent. "This is what friends do, Kurt. I'm not letting you be alone at a time like this."

Blaine wants to leave Kurt on speaker during the drive, but Kurt implores that he doesn't, not after the events of last year. Blaine doesn't fight Kurt's insistence, but the drive to Kurt's apartment, with no clue about how Kurt is doing, is torture.

When Kurt slides open the door to his apartment two and a half hours later, the first thing Blaine sees is that he's no longer crying. Still, his eyes are red, and the life has left them like Blaine has seen happen so many times, too many times, in the time that Blaine has known him. But Blaine knows it'll come back. This is Kurt. He's strong. He gets over everything. He's _had _to get over everything.

But what pains Blaine the most _is_ that lifelessness in Kurt's eyes. Because the last time he saw Kurt like this, it had been because of _him_.

"Hey," Kurt manages to croak out, and how raspy his voice is breaks Blaine's heart all over again.

"Kurt," says Blaine, stepping into the apartment. He wraps his arms around Kurt's back, pulling Kurt towards him as the sound of renewed sobs fills the room. "Hey, sh, it'll be okay."

Blaine rubs Kurt's back soothingly, as Kurt slumps his weight onto his shoulder.

"You deserve so much better," whispers Blaine, eyes shut tight, as he wishes that he, himself, will remember that. That Kurt deserves better than a cheater.

Kurt pulls back, making his way across the room. Blaine watches Kurt settle himself onto the couch, legs curling underneath him. Blaine follows him, makes to settle beside him, when Kurt speaks.

"You know what's stupid?" he says, looking up at Blaine. "We were only exclusive for about a week. I shouldn't even be this upset."

"That's not stupid," Blaine assures Kurt.

"And I've been trying to figure out," Kurt continues, as if Blaine hadn't spoken, "why it even hurts so much. And I finally realised that it's because of you."

The words take Blaine by surprise, clawing a pit of guilt in his chest.

"I'm not even crying because of Peter," says Kurt, "I'm crying because what Peter did brought back everything I felt when you cheated, Blaine."

"I'm sorry," murmurs Blaine. Because what else can he say? What else can he do? "If you want me to leave, I'll go."

Kurt's response, however, is quite the opposive

"Come here," he says

Kurt's holds out his hand. Blaine takes it in both of his, settling next to Kurt on the couch, one leg tucked underneath him.

"I've forgiven you," Kurt murmurs. "It's just – it's just hard to forget."

"I'm so sorry," Blaine repeats himself. He brings Kurt's hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly, gaze downcast. "I don't expect you to forget. I didn't even expect you to forgive me."

Blaine bites his lip. There's a question that he wants so much to ask, but he's afraid of the answer. But he decides it's worth the risk.

"Did you cry this much when I…" he starts, but he can't bring himself to finish his sentence, can't bring himself to articulate just what he did. Not when they had been ignoring it for so long.

"No," says Kurt. "I was worse. Because losing you was worse. You're the only person who it's worth going through that for."

"You shouldn't have had to," says Blaine, his thumbs rubbing circles on Kurt's hands.

"I know," says Kurt, nodding fiercely. He sucks his lips inwards as tears stream down his face, as if trying to control his crying. "I know but it doesn't change how I feel about you. I'd go to hell and back for you."

"You won't have to," says Blaine, shaking his head. "Kurt, I promise, never again."

"I know," says Kurt again, and this time he allows the tears to fall freely from his face. "I know, and that's why I trust you."

And Kurt's leaning forward to place a soft, chaste kiss on Blaine's lips.

"I never did stop loving you," murmurs Kurt, pressing their foreheads together, eyes downcast.

"Neither did I," says Blaine.

They have a lot to talk about, but that can wait. It's getting late, and Blaine's still exhausted from driving two and a half hours straight. So they call it a night, Kurt retreating to his room and Blaine to Rachel's, both of them thinking it better if they spend the night apart.

The next morning, Blaine wakes up to Kurt rapping on the bedroom door. It's going to be a long day. They'll talk and cry, and hopefully smile, as they reconnect. And Blaine will try his best to remind Kurt just how perfect he is.


End file.
